European Union foreign ministers are calling for "a clear and strong response" to the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria blamed on the Damascus regime.
Speaking after the bloc's 28 ministers held talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday, the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: "We want to see a clear and strong response."
Europe has been sharply divided over how to respond to US calls for military action against Syria after the deadly August 21 attack which Washington, Paris and London claim was carried out by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
France is the sole EU nation currently willing to take part in a US-led intervention, with most of the bloc's governments reluctant to offer even political backing for military action without at best a UN mandate, or at least until the release of a much-awaited UN probe on the attack.
Ashton said that EU ministers welcomed French President Francois Hollande's decision to await the release of the UN investigation before taking action against Syria.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
But Kerry made clear to the EU ministers that Washington had not decided to postpone a decision on military action until the release of the UN report.
Asked to comment on reports by EU officials that Kerry had agreed to requests to put off a decision pending publication of the report, a US State Department official told AFP:
"Secretary Kerry made clear that he would report back to the national security team the recommendations of some members of the EU to wait for the results of the UN inspection, but he also made clear that the United States has not made the decision to wait."
Germany meanwhile announced it has signed on to a global statement urging "a strong response" to the chemical weapons attack.
That made Germany the fifth EU member to back the statement issued at a G20 summit in Saint Petersburg on Friday and signed by 11 countries - including the US, Britain, France, Italy and Spain.
"After the Europeans found a common position here... the chancellor and I decided that we can agree to the declaration which was made yesterday in Saint Petersburg," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
Westerwelle has urged the UN to publish its chemical weapons report "as quickly as possible" to help Europe's divided leaders determine a joint response.
